


more than that

by nouies



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Ambiguous/Open Ending, France (Country), M/M, Photographer Louis, Writer Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:35:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25387639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nouies/pseuds/nouies
Summary: Harry looks for the best bread in France. He finds Louis.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 16
Kudos: 72





	more than that

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alltheselights](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltheselights/gifts), [smittenwithlouis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/smittenwithlouis/gifts).



> thank you for all the hard work you’ve put in blff. and thank you for your friendship. i’ve been meaning to give something to you but i didn’t have any ideas, then yesterday i saw h’s photos and this happened. i hope you like it.
> 
> thank you to [Sarah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/soldouthaz/pseuds/soldouthaz) for reading this over for me, and the contributions as well! 
> 
> excuse my french. enjoy!

**i.**

After twenty minutes of walking from the hostel, Harry makes it to his fifth visited bakery. He’s only been on the road for a month but he has learned so much already.

The place is small, just like his lovely hostess Marie said it would be, with a blue door. To its side, there’s a handwritten sign that reads _“Le pain”_ with the painting of a baker working, the only hint of what goes inside the house. Harry guesses the store above is where the owners live. It’s a very traditional looking establishment, not so different from the others he had visited during his trip.

Harry knocks on the door and peeks over the window to no avail. Trying his luck, he opens the door and steps inside, the smell of baked goods already filling his nostrils.

“Bonjour?” he calls. Looking around he notices the counter and a table with two chairs, all of them painted in a similar shade as the door. There are a few baguettes displayed, probably the only ones left after the morning rush.

He turns to explore the place while he waits when he hears a bell ring.

“Bonjour! Je peux vous aider?” A woman asks with a kind smile. She has a welcoming aura and Harry feels himself smiling back.

“English?”

“Yes! Of course. How can I help you?”

“You mind if we take a seat?” he begins as the two of them sit and Harry takes off his glasses and puts them on the table. He introduces himself and learns the woman’s name is Johannah and that she owns the bakery along with her husband and two children. “I’m a baker and writer, and I have a small project. A book featuring the best bread outside of Paris.

“I’ve heard great things about your bakery, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in participating?”

This is the most important part of his travelling, selling his idea to all the bakers. He knows it’s not easy to trust their work, their life, to a stranger, so he has to be very careful on how to approach them and talk to them about the project. He has a successful rate of four owners agreeing against three that didn’t.

When he asked around about Johannah’s bakery though, he knew he had to get at least the chance to know about it even if the owner wasn’t interested in more.

“Wow Harry, it’s… it’s an honour that you think so highly of our little bakery. I’ll need to consult this with my husband, but he won’t be home until the evening I’m afraid.”

Well, that’s not a no.

“It’s okay, I don’t need an answer right away. And I promise you I won’t take a lot of time from you, so we’re not in a rush.”

Johannah offers him tea and tells him about her husband, Mark, who is actually from England just like Harry, and teaches English in his free time.

“Not like he has much, mind you, but I guess he couldn't let go of his passion.”

“Just like me,” he says softly.

Harry dismisses himself after Johannah insists him to take some boule bread for supper. Just as he’s about to go out, a young man dressed in a blue polo neck sweater steps in. Harry tries not to stare but it’s a hard task considering he’s the most beautiful man Harry has laid his eyes on.

He’s a bit shorter than Harry, with soft brown hair and delicate features. The man is carrying a small leather bag over his shoulder, that he quickly puts away in order to make his way to Johannah. She addresses the man, who by the resemblance Harry guesses might be her son, as Louis, and prompts him to shake hands with Harry.

“He’s a writer from England, he’s interested in writing about our bakery. Isn’t it amazing?” She says in English for Harry’s benefit.

Louis' eyes meet his as they shake hands. “Nice to meet you.”

**ii.**

“You’re great at this,” Harry says while Louis is working on the dough for the _pain de campagne_. He’s moving with the grace of a dancer, and Harry feels like he’s watching some sort of performance. “How come you don’t want to do this for a living?”

“I have other dreams, I guess.” He settles the dough on the side of the table, and cleans off the sweat from his forehead. Harry watches every movement, mesmerised by how delicate yet strong Louis looks here in the kitchen. “Being a baker will always be a part of me, but with photography I get to tell stories that otherwise wouldn’t be told. It helps me see the world in many other ways, you know? And I want to see more, to know more.” He pauses. “It’s what you’re doing, isn’t it?”

Harry smiles. “You’re as wise as your mum.”

“Don’t get it wrong, Harry,” Louis says with a serious face. “She’s wiser.”

When they’re both done for the day, Louis baking and Harry observing and taking notes, they go to a picnic. The idea was Johannah’s, of course, in an attempt to make Harry feel like home. Louis decides to take his camera with him and tell Harry every single fact about the houses or people they come across on their way to the river.

“It seems like everyone here likes you.”

Louis shrugs. “I think they just want to know who you are. It’s not a common, uh, occurrence that an English writer visits our village.”

A pang of disappointment hits him suddenly. “Is that why you offered to show me around?” He doesn’t know why but he thought he was on his way to be friends with Louis, even after knowing him for just one day.

He doesn’t notice that Louis stopped walking, probably to consider his answer. “It’s definitely more than that,” he says sincerely.

They find a nice spot to sit, and Louis starts arranging the blanket he brought. Harry hasn’t been to a picnic since he was a kid, and this is bringing fond memories to him.

“This reminds me so much of home,” Louis turns to him and hums, prompting him to continue. “Mum would make sandwiches of all kinds for us to eat, and my sister and I would be in charge of cutting fruit or packing the crackers.”

“Is it hard?” Louis asks. “To be away from home, I mean.”

Harry hasn’t lived with his parents ever since he decided to move to London to pursue his goal of becoming a known writer. It’s been six years since then. Now he has two homes, he supposes, one belongs to his family and the other to his dreams.

“It’s not hard but I do miss it. I know that one day I’ll be back, though, so that keeps me going.”

They eat and talk about everything and anything. Harry feels at ease in Louis’ company, it feels as if they’ve known each other for years. He wishes he could live in this moment forever.

**iii.**

“A-are you sure?”

“Yeah!” Harry chuckles, “I don’t know how I didn’t think about this before but I’ll sure be needing a photographer to document my journey.” When Louis showed Harry his photography albums, an idea came to mind. It was a bit selfish on Harry’s part, but he didn’t want to leave Louis behind, so this was perfect for both of them.

“I only have my notes and some rushed drawings, but your pictures will capture the experiences with a new perspective, and two minds think better than one,” he explains, hoping that Louis accepts his offer.

“Of course I’ll go, I just... I've been waiting for an opportunity like this to show my art, this is everything.”

“The budget is limited, so we’ll have to work around it-”

“Don’t worry!” Louis interrupts him, “I have some savings. They were meant for the trip to Paris I told you about, but I- I cannot let this chance go.”

“It’s settled then! Your first job will be photographing your mum’s work which you’re very good at.” It’s a tad dark in Louis’ room, but Harry is sure he made the other man blush. “After that, we’ll go to a bakery an hour away from here so it won’t be necessary to get a room there; we can go back to get our stuff once we hit the road.”

**iv.**

“I trust that you’ll keep my boy safe, Harry.” Johannah says, “and you too, please take care of each other.”

Harry has known this family for only a couple of weeks but he would never let anything bad happen to any of them, and he tells Johannah so.

Louis is saying goodbye to his little sister, Charlotte, when Harry interrupts them. “I’m sorry but we have to go if we don’t want night to fall upon us.”

“Tu vas être gentil avec maman et papa, hm?” He hugs her as if he doesn’t want to let go and it makes Harry’s heart break a little.

Telling Johannah and Mark about Louis' departure was harder than making bakers agree to share their work with him. Harry assured them they would be okay, but he understands the parents’ reluctance to see their son go with a stranger. At the end, they agreed with the condition that Louis have to call them every other day. They also offered Harry money for their expenses, but he refused, not wanting the family to think he was doing it just for the money. “We only need some _fougasse_ for the road,” he joked.

Louis climbs to Harry’s mustang and lets out a breath. “Having second thoughts?”

“Non, non. I mean, I’m nervous but that’s not it.”

Harry looks ahead, Louis’ family still waiting for them to go. “You can tell me if it makes you feel better. I know I said it’s getting late but we can take all the time you need.” The least he wants is for Louis to feel uncomfortable in his presence.

“I just…” Louis turns to look Harry in the eyes. “I feel like this is the beginning of something bigger than just my career as a professional photographer, you know?”

“I know,” he takes Louis’ hand in his, and carcasses it with his thumb. “I feel the same way but I didn’t want to scare you. I've been feeling it since the moment I met you.”

“So what happens now?”

“Well, the job is still yours if you want it. I know we’re both old enough to not mix work and our personal lives. I’d really love you to be part of the project, just as much as I’d like to get to know you more. I’m confident we’d make a great team, but ultimately the choice is yours.”

Louis looks at their joined hands and then squeezes Harry’s. “I’d love that too.”

Harry doesn’t remember any time he’s been happier. “Shall we?”

They wave goodbye to the bakery’s direction, and Harry starts the car. Louis grins as the tires make it onto the cold concrete.

“We shall.”

**Author's Note:**

> I do not allow translations or publications of this work on any other site.


End file.
